Seattle Schools Approved Growth Boundaries Plan

That was fast (good job, SPS staff).  Here is the district's overview of the approved Growth Boundaries plan.  I don't think it answers all the questions you have but it is a good overview.

From SPS Communications:

At the Nov. 20 Board meeting, the Seattle School Board approved various boundary changes (Growth Boundaries) for 2014-15 as the first step in addressing overcrowded schools. 

Additional information and FAQs will be posted online as information is updated to reflect Board decisions. 

Changes approved for the 2014-15 school year include opening a middle school in the northeast (Jane Addams Middle School) and an elementary school in West Seattle (Fairmount Park Elementary), and making attendance-area changes to assign students to those schools. Changes will also be made to attendance-area assignments for two attendance-area elementary schools being changed to option schools (John Stanford International School and McDonald International School). 

The following schools will have changes to their boundaries for 2014-15. (Click on the school name to see the new boundary map.) 

Elementary/K-8 Schools 

• Fairmount Park (new!) 

• Schmitz Park 

• Lafayette 

• Green Lake 

• Laurelhurst 

• John Hay 

• Lowell

• Madrona 

• Stevens 

Middle Schools (to come) 

• Eckstein 

• Hamilton International

• Jane Addams (new!)

Details of the changes for 2014-15 only are below. 

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS 

Dearborn Park Elementary will begin an attendance-area international school program. Language immersion will begin with kindergarten in the 2014-15 school year, adding a grade each year.

Fairmount Park Elementary School opens September 2014 as an attendance-area elementary school. Boundary changes assign some students from the Lafayette, Schmitz Park, Alki, Gatewood and West Seattle Elementary attendance areas to Fairmount Park. New boundaries apply to incoming K students and new residents of the attendance area. Students in grades 1-5 who live in the new attendance area are grandfathered at their current school, but will be assigned to Fairmount Park if they apply during Open Enrollment through Sept. 30. 

Laurelhurst boundaries will change. A portion of the McDonald boundary is reassigned to Laurelhurst, since McDonald is becoming an option school. New boundaries apply to incoming K students and new residents of the attendance area. Students in grades 1-5 who live in the new attendance area are grandfathered at their current school, but will be assigned to Laurelhurst if they apply during Open Enrollment through Sept. 30. 

John Hay Elementary boundaries will change. Portions of the attendance area will be assigned to Lowell Elementary in 2014-15. New boundaries apply to incoming kindergarten students and new residents to the attendance area. Students currently attending John Hay are grandfathered to remain, but will be assigned to Lowell if they apply during Open Enrollment through Sept. 30. 

The Lowell Elementary boundary will be expanded, including some students now assigned to John Hay in 2014-15. New boundaries apply to incoming kindergarten students and new residents to the attendance area. Students currently attending John Hay are grandfathered to remain, but will be assigned to Lowell if they apply during Open Enrollment through Sept. 30. 

McDonald International School and John Stanford International School will no longer have attendance-areas boundaries, since they will become option schools. Students currently attending these schools will be grandfathered and may remain at the school through fifth grade. Students who wish to move to their new attendance-area elementary school from John Stanford or McDonald may do so if they apply during Open Enrollment through Sept. 30.

New assignments to John Stanford and McDonald will be based on standard option school tie-breakers, including a GeoZone, after initial set aside of 15 percent of K-1 seats for Native/Heritage speakers. 

Boundaries for Madrona K-8 and Stevens Elementary will change, with a portion of the Stevens boundary shifting to Madrona K-8. New boundaries apply to incoming kindergarten students and new residents to the attendance area. Students currently attending Stevens are grandfathered to remain, but will be assigned to Madrona if they apply during Open Enrollment through Sept. 30. 

MIDDLE SCHOOLS

Eckstein Middle School attendance-area changes will be implemented in the 2014-15 school year. Although elementary boundary changes in feeder elementary schools may not be implemented for 2014-15, students who live in the new Eckstein Middle School attendance area will be assigned to Eckstein, effective 2014-15, except as noted below: 

a. Students entering grades 6-8 who currently attend a K-8 attendance area or option school. These students will receive a continuing assignment to their current K-8 school. If they apply for Eckstein during Open Enrollment through Sept. 30, they will be assigned to Eckstein.

b. Grade 6-8 students receiving special education services who have a “linked” school for the following special education services: Medically Fragile (linked with McClure). These students will be assigned to their linked school. (If additional linked schools are identified for specific services, students will be assigned to their linked school).

c. Students entering grades 7-8 with a “choice” assignment to an attendance-area school other than their current attendance-area school will receive a continuing assignment to the “choice” school. If they apply for Eckstein during Open Enrollment through Sept. 30, they will be assigned to Eckstein. Pathway assignments for Accelerated Progress Program (APP) or International School programs are not considered as choice assignments, since the assignments are guaranteed.

d. Grade 7-8 students attending Hamilton who were assigned to general education there based on the international school pathway from John Stanford  to Hamilton will receive a continuing assignment to Hamilton. Grade 6 students enrolled in 5th grade at John Stanford in 2013-14 will receive a guaranteed pathway assignment to general education at Hamilton if they apply during Open Enrollment through Sept. 30. (One of the choices listed must be for the pathway school without designation of Spectrum, or APP if applicable). 

e. The area identified as 204 will not be reassigned to Hamilton for 2014-15 to assist with capacity management; it will remain in the Eckstein attendance area at present. Area 218 will not be reassigned from Whitman to Hamilton for 2014-15 to assist with capacity management; it will remain in the Whitman attendance area at present. 

Jane Addams Middle School opens September 2014. The new attendance area for Jane Addams will be implemented with the opening of the school for grades 6-8. Although elementary boundary changes in feeder elementary schools may not be implemented for 2014-15, students who live in the new Jane Addams attendance area will be assigned to Jane Addams effective 2014-15, except as noted below: 

a. Students entering grades 6-8 who currently attend a K-8 attendance area or option school. These students will receive a continuing assignment to their current K-8 school. If they apply for Jane Addams during Open Enrollment through Sept. 30, they will be assigned to Jane Addams. 

b. Grade 6-8 students receiving special education services who have a “linked” school for the following special education services: Deaf/Hard of Hearing (linked with Eckstein), or Medically Fragile (linked with McClure). These students will be assigned to their linked school. (If there are changes to linked schools for specific services, students will be assigned to the appropriate linked school). 

c. Grade 7-8 students with a “choice” assignment (to an option school or attendance-area school other than their current attendance area school) will receive a continuing assignment to the “choice” school. If they apply for Jane Addams during Open Enrollment through Sept. 30, they will be assigned to Jane Addams. Pathway assignments for Accelerated Progress Program (APP) or International School programs are not considered as choice assignments, since the assignments are guaranteed. 

d. Grade 7-8 students attending Hamilton who were assigned to general education there based on the international school pathway from John Stanford to Hamilton will receive a continuing assignment to Hamilton. Grade 6 students enrolled in 5th grade at John Stanford in 2013-14 will receive a guaranteed pathway assignment to general education at Hamilton if they apply during Open Enrollment through Sept. 30. (One of the choices listed must be for the pathway school without designation of Spectrum, or APP if applicable).

e. Grade 7-8 students attending Hamilton from the Laurelhurst attendance area who were grandfathered at Hamilton when Laurelhurst was changed from the Hamilton feeder pattern to the Eckstein feeder pattern would maintain their grandfathered status. 

ALL SCHOOLS 

Standard tie-breakers and other assignment rules remain in effect unless otherwise noted. Students may transfer to their attendance area school during Open Enrollment through Sept. 30, as long as the services the student needs are available at that school. (New attendance areas are in effect once approved by the School Board for implementation.) 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT “GRANDFATHERING” 

Grandfathering: 

(1) continues as long as the services the student needs are available at the school; 

(2) does not apply to students in special education preschool classes since they do not automatically roll up to K at the current school; and 

(3) applies to resident students only. Grandfathering does not apply for attendance-area middle school students.